WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY FITNESS WATCHES AND TRACKERS

Wearable technology is not a new idea. In fact, most people now own at least one type of wearable tech. Weather that’s a fitness watch, a smart Glasses or GPS trackers.

One thing is for sure in 2017, the industry remains unstoppable. Fitbit, the highest-selling fitness tracker, ended the last quarter of 2016 with over 7 million sales. Major electronics brands like Samsung, Apple, and Sony (among others). Are following suit and releasing advanced wearables to keep up with the market.

While 2016 was dubbed the “Year of the Wearables,”. Wearable technology has been used in military and medical applications for decades.
By the start of this year, the CES showed consumers a peep through the future of wearables.
It’s predicted By 2025, wearable tech will become a £75 billion plus industry, with healthcare taking the lead.

This shows just how much it has become integrated into our lives. Just how long it is expected to stick around, not to mention the amount of research. That is going into it to make it absolutely sensational.

Retail, business, advertising, fashion, jewelry, sports, entertainment and other industries. Are embracing wearable technology. However, health, fitness and sports remain the top market of wearables.

The Current Stock Of Wearable Technology & What’s In Store…

The 2016 CES saw many of the leading tech and sportswear companies. Demo their wearable devices. Under Armour bought popular fitness apps MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal, and Endomondo in the past two years. With their new additional buzz at this year’s event. By announcing a collection of wearables.

It included the most-talked-about UA HealthBox all-in-one system, a Connected Fitness system. and UA SpeedForm Gemini 2 Record Equipped. The company also mentioned its first smart shoe, and wireless headphones that are currently in development. Overall the new gadgets and hybrid wearables showcased at this year’s CES event aim to help with professional sports, and cater to advanced fitness goals.

Fitness Wearable Technology…What You Need To Know
Wearable tech has made the next level of coaching possible. Three-time Ironman champion Craig Alexander was present at the 2016 CES to show off Oakley’s Radar Pace, a voice-controlled pair of smart glasses that provides performance data, motivation and coaching in real time.
The in-ear coaching device from Kuaiwear measures sport performance and biometrics, which was clinically-tested for accuracy by Duke University. It also provides live voice-coaching feedback based on personal training plans and goals. Which is great for keeping a track on how you are doing.

Technology Sportswear

Seniora Fitness skipped the strap-on wearables. They made a sports bra embedded with an accurate heart-rate monitors (£139 at sensoriafitness.com). OMbra also released its own version that tracks distance run, pace, estimated calories burned and heart rate.

Fitness Wearable Technology…What You Need To Know Its Trending ! 

Shirts, shorts, leggings, and other sportswear. Have also been transformed into wearable tech, such as Lumo’s Run Smart Running Shorts with its own Run Sensor, and Hexoskin’s Smart biometric shirt.
Pro Athletes Performance –

The fitness, IT and sports industries have collaborated in the last year. To announce or showcase sports-specific wearables. That aim to enhance the performance of athletes.

Basketball –

Vert allows athletes measure jump data. Which gives basketball players a way to improve their vertical.
Baseball – Major League Baseball athletes will be getting some love. With the launch of Motus BASEBALL. That would analyze pitching and hitting with sensor-embedded sleeves.

Extreme Sports – BRG Sports and 360fly revealed four new smart helmets. All of which have the ability to capture athlete’s full movements in high-quality 4K video.

Golf – Taking a cue from Zepp’s Golf glove. Garmin recently announced its own TruSwing sensor (designed to be attached at the shaft of a golf club). Which provides real-time metrics such as swing speed, tempo, trajectories, and more.

 

TECH IS REALLY PUSHING THE BOAT OUT 

Gym Tech – The ever-so-popular weight training system Bowflex. Launched its SelectTech 560 Dumbbells that can track reps and weight lifted. Which users can view in any mobile device via the connected 3DT app.

Another interesting device is the GYMWATCH Sensor. Which counts reps, measures speed, and even corrects a user’s form while lifting weights.
Slendertone Connect Abs -Is a belt-type gadget that claims to tighten and tone core muscle by using Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) tech.

Shoes Embed – The trend of wearables embedded into rubber shoes began last year, but the offerings this year were much more impressive. For instance, the iFit-powered Altra IQ Shoe works like any normal shoe but with sensors that measure footstrike and other running habits. Digisole shoe soles work the same way, but double as foot warmer.

Real-time Sports Content – Spalding also announced an exciting partnership with ShotTracker. Which will track real-time basketball performance stats of each player. New Balance launched its “Digital Sports” division that partnered with Intel and Google

At the end of January, ESPN tested Intel’s Curie module to track real-time performances. At Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and Men’s Snowboard Big Air during the X-Games. So in regards to what’s been said. It’s safe to say there’s been massive advances in technology. With allot of new additions causing mass excitement in many people.

HIGH PRICE RANGE

While you might be paying a lot for the privilege of owning one of the devices or objects. They’re definitely meant to improve the quality of your life .

What The Wearable Tech Companies Are Trying To Create

As well as ‘working’, there are other things that have to be considered for a new piece of wearable tech. Just working isn’t always enough. To make a big enough dent in the market and give it its own little niche.

Will people want to wear it?

It’s fine parading around your home in a chunky, unappealing device. But would the consumer want to wear it outside? Inventors and companies want their product to revolutionise lives. Not sit in a cupboard somewhere because it doesn’t go with any outfits or it looks stupid.

How safe is it?

It’s great being able to tap a watch on your wrist and get all your information. However it also needs to be ensured that the product is safe. That the information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Not only does it need to look good, but it needs to be safe and secure. People need to be able to use it and know that their information isn’t being treated as ‘free for all’.

Is it affordable?

While a lot of work goes into these devices. It’s important for companies to have some profit margin. However it’s also important that it’s affordable. For the majority of people. Currently the cost is high as you would expect with something new. So it no affordable for everyone

 A PURPOSE

Does it have a purpose? Even with the above being considered. Wearable technology still requires a good sum of money towards it. Companies need to make sure that their product is useful and does as it is supposed to. Even if the product sounds amazing.  if it isn’t functional and doesn’t meet the need of the people. It’s useless and isn’t going to sell.

Not only do companies and inventors need to consider the above. The sponsors and shareholders will too. If the product doesn’t seem well thought out. People aren’t going to funnel money into it.
Companies are trying to become the first to offer a solution to a problem. That was previously unmet, and with all the new devices, it’s definitely a race between them all.

COMING SOON WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY 

In the next year, watching the tech scene is definitely a good idea. Many new things are coming out that are definitely set to change how we live our lives. How we find entertainment. Whether that entertainment is found through exercise, gaming or communicating. There is new technology coming to help everyone. Allot of money and time is going to improving and furthering our technology. Giving us a better understanding of how things work.

 

THE FUTURE OF FITNESS